Handmade Crafts by Etcher

Tag Archives: blanket

For the sake of diversification, I’ve been “expanding my product line” in my Etsy store (I can’t sell physical items at Ravelry…at least I don’t think I can) by making these beautiful knitting pins used in Portuguese style knitting; the pins are very unique because I made them out of Czech glass buttons, of which are incredibly beautiful!!! If you don’t know what it is, check out this video on YouTube:

I normally knit by the method of English “throwing” (right hand does all of the work) but I prefer to use the knitting pin when I knit a knit/purl blanket because it’s very efficient, faster (I can knit about 150 stitches a minute) and doesn’t strain your hands so much. However, I have my own way of doing it; I do the purl technique the exact same way as in the video but instead of the demonstrated knit stitch, I do a continental knit stitch…someday when I’m bored, I’ll make a video of it because I haven’t seen anyone else do it.

I’m finally starting to come out of my latest adventure…spinal surgery!! YAY…not. I was expecting the surgery itself to be way worse than it was, but it wasn’t horrific. Granted, feeling staples brush against the vertebrae in your back is not a good time. It’s been slow but the incision is finally healing. The nerve damage from the blown disc pinching off my S1 and S2 nerves for 9 months will take longer to heal, if it ever heals at all. I hope I finally heal completely because walking with a cane really sucks.

The worst thing about the whole thing was that I couldn’t sit for more than 10 minutes at a time (and then I had to sit in a reclined position), thus I COULDN’T KNIT!!!! It really stunk but I found a way around it; I had the fore-site to elevate an old card table and dug out an old Bond Knitting Machine, that I’ve had for years, and set it up. About two weeks after the surgery, I was standing and walking so I designed a simple baby blanket that I could make; it wasn’t exactly like knitting but it was the best I could do at the time. The good thing was that I was able to gauge it out to a hand knitting pattern.

Cape Cod Stitchery; where the information regarding the knitting and crocheting patterns designs will reside.

Hello to my faithful followers! I haven’t been around for a little while, because I’ve been a bit busy working on my latest project; not only have I been creating more baby blankets but I’m now actually writing down the patterns for the projects that I’ve designed and am in the process of creating PDF’s from them for publication and putting them up for sale (for a reasonable price even though they take quite a bit of time to create) on Etsy and Ravelry.

There are two main reasons for why I decided to finally make my own patterns.

First, and most importantly, I’ve discovered that the patterns that I see published in knitting/crocheting magazines look very complex and more time goes into deciphering the pattern than goes into creating it. I guess that’s why I decided to start designing my own creations…it was just easier to do. Fairly recently, the software to create professional looking knitting and crochet charts has become obtainable, by people like me, who have enough of a working knowledge of graphics design to be able to make written charts and patterns clear and easy to follow. This is so anyone that has a basic working knowledge of knitting and crocheting can accomplish them without frustration.

Secondly, I’ve discovered by looking at my own creations, that making something beautiful doesn’t need to be ridiculously hard to do. I’ve had several people tell me, over the years, “That blanket looks so difficult to make, I can never do that!” even after I assure them that the projects are actually easy to do. Since the “pattern” was in my head, trying to explain how to do it was nearly impossible. I’ve resigned myself to making patterns that are not only clearly explained, with a chart provided if the project can be simplified by creating one, but to also provide step by step instructions (with images) of how a stitch is made. I’ve also figured out how to create videos, for posting on YouTube, explaining the process as well.

With that said, designing and publishing simple and easily explained knitting and crocheting patterns is my objective.

I’m very close to posting my first pattern, that hasn’t been posted yet but will be shortly, so I’ve created another blog specifically for knitted and crocheted projects that I make, and sell, patterns for: http://capecodstitchery.com/; please pop over and take a look! This is an image of the first blanket that I’m making a pattern for; a herringbone stitch baby blanket in sage green and off white stripes with an I-cord edge:

I will still post my personally made projects here on Etch Stitch and Burn so please continue to pop in, from time to time, to see what I’ve been up to.

Even though I haven’t updated my blog in a while, I have been busy crafting. Granted, I haven’t had a lot of time to do it but the least I can do it post them.

Pictured to the right is my most recent creation, a cable knit baby blanket. I’ve never been much of a knitter but have always been intimidated by doing cables so, since a friend of mine at work is preggers, I decided to take the plunge. Much to my surprise, it was incredibly easy to do! Since I’m not one for following patterns, I decided to design my own and this is what I came up with. It looks incredibly difficult but I’m very happy with how it turned out.

This is a granny square blanket that I ended up doing for one of my co-workers before his daughter was born. Again, not being one for following patters, after the lavender flower was created, I pretty much went on my own for this one. I was so happy with how it turned out, I entered it into our local county fair, last year, and got a blue ribbon for it! A local yarn shop liked it so much, they gave me a $25 gift certificate also. I’m glad because I really love the store! http://www.sageyarn.com/

Again, this is another granny square baby blanket for another of my co-workers that had a daughter on the way. When I asked him what colors his wife liked and what the color of the nursery was, he said that she’s a big fan of pink and yellow. This picture doesn’t show the colors very well but trust me…it was REALLY pink and yellow! Again, no pattern…just winged it.

This is another baby blanket I made, during the creation process, in a different technique called Tunisian crochet. It’s actually a very old technique that was used quite a bit during the 30’s and 40’s but was called an afghan stitch instead of Tunisian crochet. By mixing up the colors, I found that it makes a lovely hound’s tooth pattern. I also made the crochet hook because, at the time, I couldn’t purchase one in the large size that I needed. You guessed it…no pattern!

This is the final picture I’m posting. This is another example of Tunisian crochet, in the hound’s tooth pattern, but this is actually and handbag. I did make this with a commercially available crochet hook and it made a very tight and rigid fabric. I call this my “Dirty Hippy Handbag”. Once again, without fail, this one isn’t from a pattern either.

So, there you go! I hope I made up for my absence by catching my blog up with my crafting activities. Thanks for looking!!

Remember when on the last day of December, New Year’s Eve, when you’re sitting around with your family and waiting for the new year to come, the discussion always heads towards “I hope next year is better than this year!”

Well, it hasn’t been so far. Actually, it’s been one step left of brutal.

The first of the year kicked off with a massive snowstorm that hit the New England and then I deployed to the Midwest for four months. The time within the four months consisted of:

Needless to say, I haven’t been feeling all that creative and crafty lately. However, as it is said, “when God closes a door, he always opens a window”; a window opened after being consumed in the fog of loss and grief for my Dad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still hurting but a spark of my former self has returned, thanks to my husband, friends and family.

The first shot in the arm was that I decided to go back to college, thanks to the provocation of my friends. I’m 6 weeks into my first class and I’m pulling a 98.2%; not too bad for an old lady such as myself. The second is that it’s come to my realization that I’ll be eligible for retirement in the next 4 – 5 years and that I’d better start laying the foundation for what I’m going to be doing once retirement happens. Knowing that once retirement occurs, my hubby and I will escape into the wilds of somewhere but a concrete fact remains that we are both technology geeks so wifi will be there…so I’m returning to the world of blogging. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it but it’s time to give it a go again.

So, for my loyal followers that wondered what happened to me, I’m back and will do everything I can do stay relevant again. Please forgive me, it’s been a really tough year…

Well, here’s the latest creation! This is a prime example of the baby blankets that I’ve been making for the members of my Squadron at work. Unlike like the blanket that I previously put on my blog, this one is a double crochet stitch in a Granny Square style; a timeless pattern that is absolutely warm and versatile. I think I like this style the best because you can do anything with it.

If you make little squares of different colors and sew them together, you have a Granny Square blanket. If you make rows over and over, like the one pictured to the right, you can make it any size you want (this one is 3 foot squared). Or, you can keep going and going on adding rows…I’ve made 3 king sized afghans, to fit king sized beds, in this exact style. The color combinations are as limited as the yarns that you can find!

As for colors…I have something to say about them too.

I’m kind of on a mission to try and redefine what a baby blanket should look like. If you compare the blankets that I’ve made, and blogged about, they aren’t made in historically “baby” colors. I have a reason for this.
When I grew up, I guess it’s safe to say that I wasn’t “type-cast” into anything. The only time that I was forced to wear dresses or dress the roll of “little girl” was when I was in church or the flower girl in a wedding or something like that even though I was a pure Tom Boy to the core. I think because of that, I was able to develop my own individuality over time. Don’t get me wrong, there are occasions where nothing is better than a nicely tailored skirt and elegant heals and I’m happily wearing them. Believe it or not, and this may surprise people that know me, there are times where I like to wear pink!

But babies really don’t have a choice in the matter. I’ve known many women, especially being in the military, that were drowned in pink growing up and refuse to wear it to this day. So, that is why I like to make baby things that are beautifully neutral.

I also feel sorry for the fathers that really step up to be good, involved fathers and they are trying really hard to ignore the fact that they are carrying a Pepto Bismol pink diaper bag but overjoyed to have their little girl in tow.

So, I’m completely on the unisex bandwagon when it comes to baby colors!!

UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 16TH, 2011

This baby blanket was donated to one of the MANY expecting families at the squadron that I belong to at the end of last year. I hope their little one likes it!!

Yes…I have been busy again! The last time was because of the birthday’s in my family (note: they both loved them!!) but I have a new motivation this time…reproduction.

knitting board, yarn and flippy thingy

First off, and I think that this is important for the context of this entry…I do not have children of my own. I have two step children but they were both teenagers when I came into the picture so it really doesn’t count. I have never experienced morning sickness. I have never experienced a ravenous appetite for weird things without explanation as to why (I had a friend, long ago, that craved night crawler dirt when she was preggers…she would stop at bait stores all over the place to just smell, not eat, night crawler dirt…very odd). I have never given birth to anything.

I have, however, experienced something similar to labor pains. I had a kidney stone a few years ago and yes; I was pleading with the nurse to make the pain stop (I saw it done in those birthing shows on the Discovery Channel and it seemed to work for them so I gave it a try…), thank God she was sympathetic to my situation! As she was launching me into a blissful “full body buzz” via IV happy juice, she asked me if I’d ever had children. I said no. She smiled and said, and I quote…”A kidney stone is the closest thing you will experience similar to labor pains if you’ve have never experienced a vaginal birth”. Needless to say, I have great sympathy for any woman that would willingly put themselves through it in the first place.

zig zagging the yarn on the nails

So, why am I making a baby blanket? Well…because many people that I know ARE. They have decided to (or conceded to the idea of it happening…) bring forth another human being into the world. On very few occasions, in my life, I have experienced the fleeting need/want to have, and keep, children. Needless to say, it eventually passed. In all honesty and seriousness, I have a very clear view of the horrors that are in this world so maybe, somewhere deep in my subconscious, the mental switch prevented the physical act of creating a baby or maybe God understands that I had a different destiny lined up for me other then to change poopie diapers and cut me a little slack. Since my sister ended up having “My” daughter that I was cursed to have (“you’ll be sorry when you have one just like you!!); I’m okay with the way things turned out.

I think making baby blankets is sort of my way of being sympathetic to the process of babies getting here and that I sort of skirted the whole thing. From the outside looking in, the whole process seems rather…harsh. My hubby works with one of our friends that’s due in about 3 months. A few weeks ago he came home saying that I needed to come and see her because “the turkey thermometer popped”. I found out soon after, as I saw her in her complete misery (my sister is the only woman I’ve ever seen “glow” when pregnant) her belly button had become VERY outwardly present and poked out prominently from her uniform. She was miserable in a very public way and I feel bad for her…her blanket is almost done.

the “flipping the stitch” action

As for how I happened upon this miracle of yarn craft; sometime this past winter, I decided to watch HSN (home shopping network) because it was “Craft Month” and was desperate for something to watch on a Tuesday afternoon. They were highlighting an item called a “knitting board” (2 boards; scarf and baby blanket sized…). I’ve been knitting and crocheting for a long time and never even heard of it before. Since I normally get my best crafting idea’s from obscure TV shows, I was intrigued! Apparently, as the completely fake and plasticized hostess would go onto explain…(this chick had no clue as to what this thing did or was used for…she was as worthless as the hosts/hostesses that just hold the guitars when ESTABAN is on hocking his cheap guitars all while playing barely recognizable songs and they’re trying to look interested…nobody can smile that long!!)…that knitting needles were actually the upgrade to the knitting board due to the ease of transportation. Thus, the knitting board fell to the way side and became a lost art somewhere around the time where being a Quaker in the US wasn’t mandatory. However, due to the unique “double knit” result of this technique, there has recently been a resurgence in popularity within the crafting community. Blah blah blah and the plastic lady was starting to piss me off. However, when they showed the finished product I had to buy both of them!!

The finished blanket

It’s rather simple to do. You zig zag the yarn and flip the bottom stitch over the top stitch that was just put on. Changing colors is really easy too! When you’re done, you just crochet the very first row and the very last row so the whole thing doesn’t come unraveled.

But, there is an amazing aspect to this blanket!! It’s as fluffy as a bag of cotton balls!! The double sided knit creates a fabric that is nothing short of luxuriously soft and light! It’s so fluffy that it fluffs to about 1/2 thick but compresses to nothing if you pinch it lightly. If it gets a snag, you just yank on it and it goes back into shape. I almost wish I had the patience to create a whole afghan with it…but I don’t and it would take too long to do and then I wouldn’t be able to blog about the projects I make because a king sized afghan would take way too freakin’ long to do (plus it got up to 87 degrees today and the LAST thing I want to do is bury myself under “pile o’ yarn” for the sake of a winter project). I wish blogs could be touch sensitive because words can’t describe how amazing this thing feels. I’ve made 20 some-odd baby blankets but this is my second on the knitting board.

A guy I work with got the first for his little girl that was born 6 weeks ago. First, it’s the only blanket she wants to sleep with. Second, it can be washed in a washing machine as long as it’s not washed with anything that will snag it. Third…his wife is putting in orders because all of her friends want one too. I’m taking care of my friends first…

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my latest entry!!! Thank you for all of the hits!!!